NBA Notes: Tyronn Lue not planning any changes for Cavs in Game 3

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CLEVELAND -- LeBron James isn't changing his game. Tyronn Lue isn't changing his lineup. The Cavaliers aren't slowing down.

Defiant in the face of a 2-0 deficit to the postseason-perfect Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, the defending champions are sticking with their plan.

They may have no choice.

Back home after being outrun and outgunned by the Warriors, who won Games 1 and 2 at Oracle Arena by a combined 41 points, the Cavs find themselves in the same predicament they were in last year. This time, though, the hole feels deeper mostly because Kevin Durant is now leading a team seeking revenge after blowing a 3-1 lead to Cleveland in last year's Finals.

To this point, chapter three of Cleveland vs. Golden State, a Finals dubbed "The Three-Match" has been a mismatch.

Still, Lue, the Cavs' cool-under-pressure coach, believes his team can equal the Warriors' frenetic pace and flip the script as it did in 2016.

"We just have to take care of the basketball," Lue said Tuesday after the Cavs practiced at Quicken Loans Arena. "I think taking good shots when we're playing with pace and not turning the basketball over, letting them get out in transition. So that's our game. We're not going to change our game because of who we're playing. And I'm confident that we can play that way, and we did it last year.

"A lot of people said we couldn't. But that's our game. That's who we are. And we're not going to change just because we're playing Golden State" (see full story).

Warriors: Another collapse seems unlikely
CLEVELAND -- The possibilities seem endless for the Golden State Warriors when they are rolling.

A 150-point game isn't even out of reach.

"I mean, we could have gotten at least 140 the other night if we only had about 10 to 15 turnovers," All-Star guard Klay Thompson said.

Dominating like no team ever has in the postseason, the Warriors look capable of anything -- except another NBA Finals collapse.

They take a 2-0 lead over Cleveland into Wednesday's Game 3, just as they did last year. The Warriors actually had a higher victory margin through two games in the 2016 Finals, but they didn't have Kevin Durant or a fully healthy Stephen Curry then.

They do now and are playing much better basketball than this time last year.

"As a team, I think so," Thompson said. "I think we're moving the ball great, we're shooting the ball at a high clip and our defense has been unbelievable."

Somehow, the Cavaliers have to change all that.

They did last year, coming home after losing the first two by a combined 48 points and beginning the turnaround with a 120-90 rout in Game 3. The opponent and the situation are the same, yet things feel different.

"That's last year and I don't even know the feeling anymore," LeBron James said. "So I'm just mentally strengthening my mind and getting my mind ready and focused on what tomorrow's going to bring, and so I look forward to it" (see full story).

Warriors: Durant’s menacing defense leading the way
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant is growing a little tired of questions about his ability to play defense.

"Underrated?" Durant responded when recently asked about the perception of his D. "My coaches don't feel like that."

Neither does he, and KD's menacing, 6-foot-9 presence from the paint to the perimeter is a big reason unbeaten Golden State is closing in on its second championship in three years.

While best known for his sensational scoring and shot-making from every corner of the court, Durant has been tough on LeBron James so far in these NBA Finals by smothering the Cavs superstar. The Warriors are two wins from a title going into Game 3 at Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Durant is chasing his first championship and seems determined to do whatever it takes.

So versatile with his length and ability to alter shots, he even played center during Sunday's Game 2 when Draymond Green dealt with foul trouble in the 132-113 victory.

"I don't think there's many teams in the league who their backup is better than their starter," Green said. "So I think that's a luxury that we have with KD here, and when I went out with foul trouble, obviously he -- to say pick up the slack is kind of a ridiculous term, because he's a great player, an MVP, one of the best players in the world. So just the way he played on the defensive end, the way he played on the offensive end, he's been doing it all playoffs long, but in these Finals, he's really picked it up, and it's been huge for us" (see full story).

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